Cultural Tidbits — Armenian Navy Band

March 9, 2010

Founded in 1998 by Turkish-born Armenian musician Arto Tuncboyaciyan, the Armenian Navy Band is comprised of twelve of Armenia’s most talented jazz and traditional musicians and uniquely performs the compositions of Tuncboyaciyan, a genre of music he refers to as “avant garde folk.” The Armenia-based ANB has put out six CDs over the past ten years and has performed all over world, going on tour in the US, Europe and throughout Turkey. In 2006, the ANB won the BBC World Music Audience “Best Performer” Award. Accepting the award outside of London, Tuncboyaciyan played his distinctive beer bottle for an audience of thousands. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHOYJF00qaA

Tuncboyaciyan, an internationally-respected percussionist and composer, has composed and arranged songs for some of Turkey’s most beloved musicians. In the early 1970s, he moved from Turkey to the United States and inserted himself into the jazz and world music scenes. With Ara Dinkjian, Armen Donelian and Marc Johnson, he played in the exciting instrumental jazz quartet Night Ark in the 1980s and also joined forces at different times with the legendary Joe Zawinul and the exciting Paul Winter.

In the late 1990s, Tuncboyaciyan returned to his roots and found a vibrant music culture in Armenia’s capital city. With the ANB, he has embarked on an exciting new musical path and has inspired individuals all over the world with his message of peace and understanding. In Armenia, the ANB brand of music has offered a popular alternative to the “Rabiz” music that has been so popular in the country since the mid 1990s. In Yerevan, the ANB plays at the Avant Garde Folk Music Club located on Pushkin Street. http://www.ara.am/